American correction?

the idea of separation of Church and State

Chronicles of the Crown's Usurpation

We've been exploring over and over how critical Julius Caesar is in Shakespeare's canon.

Julius Caesar is written as an allegory about the usurpation of the Catholic church in England by the Crown. Literally, the State took over the Church. And for Englishman, it would take hundreds of years to return to the Catholic idea of separation of Church and State. And it happened by Englishmen who became something new - American.

And so when our fabulous and famous founding fathers declared our independence from England, it was an independence from the English crown and the Anglican church. And over the following decade we secured our God-given right to institute a government "deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed." This new government was a Constitutional Republic that secured other important rights for "We the People."

Chief and foremost of this right was "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…"

As Americans, our founding fathers have given us a powerful birthright which is government will never establish a new religion and force us to partake. We are free to worship God in spirit and truth. The very opposite of what Shakespeare's father's generation lived through under King Henry VIII, who did establish the Oath of Supremacy in his attempted conquest of the Catholic church in England. King Henry established a new religion and church, and forced Englishmen to participate in this new religious institution.

We can study Shakespeare in a 1,000 different ways, but for today's meditation as we approach anniversary of our Constitution, the play Julius Caesar is a good way to revisit one of our most important ideas, the Separation of Church and State. Julius Caesar is one of the most important works in Shakespeare's canon because the usurpation story it tells begs us to meditate further on is the very Catholic-become-American idea of the Separation of Church and State. How did we come to believe in the Separation of Church and State? And how did we come to the point of making it the very foundation of our human rights as a nation under God?

Origins of Church and State

To understand this now-American principle, we need to go back to the origins of Church and State. And a could place to understand those origins are looking at the biblical record of Jesus's wedding day, his crucifixion.

Ultimately, the bible is not only a powerful and spiritual document, it's also the preeminent political document in the history of the world.

It's the foundation of the everlasting Jewish peoples. And began being compiled thousands of years ago when God decided to free slaves in Egypt and make them into a nation under God.

It's also the foundation of the longest lasting human institution, the Catholic church, the bride of Christ, which is roughly one thousand nine hundred ninety years old.

It's a document compiled over many writers, more than a thousand years, and consists of over 70 books.

And there is a powerful story in this bible about how political and religious powers united to crucify Christ. On that day, their united power was used to kill God and hang our Savior on a tree. Thankfully, they knew not what they did, for God took the greatest evil we could commit in martyring God and turned it into the glorious gift of salvation.

Let's revisit a few details from the Gospel of John.

First, Jesus is arrested by his religious leaders and questioned before the High Priest. But since "it is not lawful for us to put any man to death," they are forced to seek out Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in order to execute Jesus.

When questioned by Pilate, Jesus testifies, "my kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." That's right, Christ's kingdom is of God, it is heavenly, and not of this world, not earthly. This heavenly kingdom was prophesied long before his birth, in many ways, places, and times of the decree of our Lord "You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession."

Pilate finds no wrong in Jesus and again presents Jesus to the religious leaders so that "you may know that I find no crime in him." They still ask for Jesus to be crucified because "we have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he had made himself the Son of God." Pilate sought to release Jesus but the Jews cried for "Crucify." And when Pilate presents Jesus as their King (let's note this is the proper earthly ruler acknowledging this heavenly truth, whether through mockery or sincerity, this was still prophecy), the chief priests answered "We have no king but Caesar."

A complete lie as testified in many sacred scriptures and psalms that proclaim "the Lord is king." For example, Psalm 24, "who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory." The chief priests knew better. God is their Lord and King, not Caesar.

This public apostasy by the chief priests led to their losing of heavenly power and authority. Judgment would come on Jerusalem. But Father forgive them, for they knew not what they did. Thankfully, on that day, salvation came. And Jesus was proclaimed king for all to see, for "Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, it read, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'"

Again, irrespective of whether Pilate was sincere or publicly mocking the chief priests, in the mighty workings of God, this proclamation was given by the proper earthly power. Those with eyes to see saw God's mysterious ways working itself out in the most infinite and intimate of deeds and details.

"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" written in three languages so that all those in Jerusalem would see the newly appointed king, appointed by the proper Roman authorities.

And so, on the day of salvation and at the birth of our Church, the religious and political powers united to crucify Christ.

Let's consider what happened to Christians in the times of our early Church.

The Oath, who is Lord?

The Romans were known to respect the ancient traditions and religions. Taxes to Caesar may have been enforced but the Jews were allowed to practice their religion in the time of Christ. The desire was for Pax Romana ('Roman Peace') to extend throughout the civilized world.

The problem for the early Church was that they were not viewed as a fulfillment of the old covenant but instead was considered a new thing.

Add to this, mankind's constant enemy, the devil, had a renewed fury at his own role in ushering eternal salvation. Satan would not go easily into the night but would instead prowls about the earth seeking the ruin of souls.

And now this "new people", the early Christians, would be considered disturbers of the peace, seen as an obstacle to the goal of Pax Romana. And when the early Church was asked to proclaim "Caesar as Lord" on the penalty of death, many bravely witnessed and testified "Christ is Lord." This faith was not a desire to disturb true earthly Roman peace but instead "left to others a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws." Instead of earthly salvation through apostasy and blasphemy, they sought eternal salvation through truth and testimony. These early martyrs "conquered by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." They would not make the oath "Caesar is Lord" even if it led to earthly life because they knew true and eternal life was found in the proclamation, "Christ is Lord."

And so for nearly three hundred years "the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church."

And then, one day, there arose a new Caesar not like the Caesars of old. This Caesar proclaimed "Christ is Lord."

Separation of Church and State

This Caesar was Constantine. His mother's a saint and he was a Caesar. And a few years into his reign he proclaimed the Edict of Milan, which was a proclamation that permanently established the toleration of Christian religion in the Roman Empire. The concept of Pax Romana recognized that there was a great peace to be had, the everlasting peace of God.

And from this moment, the Catholic church found its right to earthly existence properly honored by earthly laws. Over a millennia, this old Rome would transform into a flourishing Catholic Europe, with a new dynamic of earthly kings who proclaimed "Christ is King." The powers of Church and State were separate, with European royalty guiding the execution of earthly laws and power, and the Church shepherding souls to heaven by teaching the divine law.

The Church, like our Savior, has no need of earthly power. We have a heavenly truth that must be proclaimed without care to earthly power or status or concerns. In fact, our Lord clearly outlined his kingdom and the definition of greatness throughout his earthly ministry.

"The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For which is greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves.

"You are those who have continued with me in my trials; as my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

And so, Catholic Europe would arise with kings and bishops, earthly and heavenly power, separate but working together to further God's peace in the world. The Church functioned as a check on abuse of earthly power; the Kings humbled by recognizing a greater Lord than themselves where kept in check by the teachings of the Church. And the people of Europe flourished in this environment of separate powers balancing each other and proclaiming God's kingdom.

This was how Catholic Europe, including Catholic England arose in power and glory. Cities contained Cathedrals as living testimony to the people's faith in God and the kings leadership under a greater authority, Catholic Europe was a powerful testimony of Christian faith in public life.

And yet, the war with Satan and Sin can disrupt even great designs.

Oath of Supremacy

In a time when merrie England looked on good days where bells knolled the call to Church and felt the rise of Catholic faith in cities and towns and hamlets across the island. And when Protestant religions exploded on the north of mainland Europe, Catholic England had a king who defended the ancient faith and the sacraments, and who was recognized by the Pope with the honorific title "Defender of the faith."

This king, Henry VIII, was married to a Catholic Queen and Spanish Princess, and was a great hope to many English who lived in an island so filled with Catholic religion that it was known to all as "Our Lady's Dowry."

Unfortunately, this Catholic King, believed to be a defender of the faith, almost unbelievably betrayed Christ and his holy Church. It is almost unfathomable. "Eh tu, Henri?" This is the story and testimony Shakespeare teaches us through Julius Caesar.

The level of pain of this betrayal was like Jesus and Judas, Julius and Brutus, and now there is a new one, Henry and the Church. For in this betrayal, Henry not only betrayed his own bride by creating a Church that would grant a decree of divorce, but also betrayed the bride of Christ. In one act, he violated multiple oaths.

Beyond that, horny Henry did not want to be alone. Inspired by the devil, he desired not only his own fall from grace but also tried to lead all his countrymen into a demonic descent of violating their own oaths to God. Now, rather than saying "Caesar is Lord" he was asking Englishman to proclaim the King of England as head of the Church in England. The Oath of Supremacy asked Englishmen to say the Crown was the head of the Church, not Christ's vicar in Rome. The English Crown was demanding an allegiance of the English people that would force them to violate their own oaths to God, violate their word to their Spouse and Savior and heavenly King, and also separate themselves from the faith of their fathers that had been held for centuries.

And in Julius Caesar, in a time of severe censorship by the English crown, Shakespeare writes an allegory to remind the English masses that these new oaths were made in vain and violation of their eternal relationships, as similarly told in his other stories like MidSummer Night's Dream, King Lear, and Love's Labor's Lost.

And though this meditation is nowhere near sufficient to understand the idea of Separation of Church and State, Shakespeare's canon and especially Julius Caesar asks us to continue to revisit these ideas and principles to understand the revolutions of our time.

For Americans especially, we learn to hear Shakespeare to understand ourselves and our birthright. And the lesson of our English forefathers, we must be aware of the wickedness and snares of the devil whose constant hate of God and mankind will tempt us to forget our great history and forfeit our rights out of ignorance, lies, and greed.

Shakespeare teaches us the struggles of his time so that we might know truth and return to Christ and his holy Church.

Because one day, in America, we may have "Catholics" who publicly betray the faith by sacrificing children, mandating injections, and other abuses of our human rights, leading many sheep astray. Shakespeare teaches us to be aware of the wolves, to follow our Good Shepherd, and to love and serve his holy bride. And Julius Caesar teaches us to see truth in amidst the revolutions of our time and see through the propaganda proclaimed and perpetuated upon the people.

Let those with ears to hear, hear Shakespeare.